SOCRATES
Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher.
He is credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, though his enigmatic figure is known mainly not through his accounts but of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students. Plato, who many would claim his dialogues are the most comprehensive accounts of Socrates, being a literary artist, might have pushed his brightened-up version of "Socrates" far beyond anything the historical Socrates was likely to have said; and that of Xenophon, being an historian, who is considered by some a more reliable witness to the historical Socrates.
Socrates has become famous for his contribution to the field of ethics, and it is this Platonic Socrates who lends his name to the concepts of Socratic irony and the Socratic method, or elenchus. The latter is a commonly used tool in a wide range of discussions, and is a type of pedagogy in which a series of inquiring questions are asked to encourage fundamental insight into the issue at hand. Plato's Socrates also made lasting contributions to the field of epistemology, and the influence of his ideas and approach remains a strong foundation for much western philosophy that followed.
Socrates earned his living as a stonecutter, taking over the profession of stonemasonry from his father who cut stone for the Parthenon, but eventually Socrates is reported as saying he devotes his life only to what he regards as the most important occupation: discussing philosophy. It is told that Socrates used to wander around the streets of Classical Athens asking and inquiring people on their thoughts and trying to disprove them using their own answers gradually distilling the right one using the Socratic Method.
Eventually Socrates realized that while so-called wise men considered themselves wise and yet were not, he himself knew he was not wise at all, which, paradoxically, made him the wiser one, being the only person aware of his ignorance. Socrates' paradoxical wisdom made the notable Athenians he publicly questioned look foolish, turning them against him and accusing him of wrongdoing.
He was found guilty of both corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens and of impiety ("not believing in the gods of the state"), and was sentenced to death by drinking a mixture containing poison hemlock turning down his students pleas to attempt an escape from prison saying a man must obey the rules of his state. And finally some scholars suggest that Socrates was a voluntary scapegoat in his own eyes; his death was the purifying remedy for Athens’ misfortunes.